Public ownership of energy – urges Unite

UNITE hit out yesterday at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement that he would halt new gas and oil production in the North Sea and demanded instead ‘public ownership and democratic control of the energy industry’.

‘Labour needs a properly funded plan for the North Sea and North Sea workers – Unite will not accept jam tomorrow,’ the union insisted.

Unite general Secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Grabbing the headlines is easy, developing a serious plan for more renewable energy is not.

‘When Keir Starmer decided to let the world know that he would halt new oil and gas production in the North Sea he left out everything that was important – the detail.

‘Labour must now be very clear that they will not let workers pay the price for the transition to renewable energy. When it comes to jobs we can’t have jam tomorrow.

‘We need a worker-led transition through collective bargaining that will guarantee jobs, pay and conditions for all the tens of thousands of workers in North Sea and supporting industries.

‘We cannot have a repeat of the devastation wrought on workers and their communities by the closure of the coal mines.

‘It is reckless in the extreme to talk about halting this industry without offering a coherent, fully funded plan for jobs.

‘A workers’ transition plan for the North Sea must involve three things.

‘First, it needs to put workers in the industry, and their communities, front and centre. It must be carried out with their full involvement, and guarantee decent jobs for all involved with no loss of pay and conditions.

‘Second, it will require substantial investment. We have yet to see Labour, or any political party, commit to the serious amounts that will be needed.

‘Finally, to ensure a just transition actually happens, we are calling for public ownership and democratic control of the energy industry.

‘We cannot trust the private sector, whose only concern is squeezing every last drop of profit out of the UK’s remaining oil and gas reserves, to deliver for workers and communities.

‘Britain’s recent economic history is littered with political betrayals and broken promises that have left industrial workers on the scrap heap.

‘That is why workers need to take charge of their own destiny. At Unite we are developing our own plan for just transition in the North Sea, which will take seriously the challenges we face and put workers at the heart of the process.’

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